Ever
by OmegaKawaiiCloud
Summary: Claire "Lightning" Farron was dying, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.


**X Haii :] I had the urge to write this at one in the morning, so if something's off, it's because I really should probably be sleeping. Oh well. 'Tis the normal schedule of a gamer.**

**It's my first One-shot, so please be nice!**

**X The story title is because I'm listening to EVER by GACKT and really don't like thinking of titles. The song has absolutely no connection to this story.**

**This takes place after my story Unknown SOLDIER. I'd really appreciate it if you checked it out first!**

_Ever_

"She's not getting any better yet, is she?"

Noctis shook his head in response to Tifa as he entered the bar. He sat down a couple stools away from Snow who was currently enjoying his third sandwich. After a couple of minutes of silence, Noctis spoke again.

"It's all over her back now. And worse than the kid's."

Tifa stopped washing glasses. "Worse than Denzel, you mean?" She said, looking over to him. Noctis nodded. Snow looked down at his half-eaten sandwich, no longer feeling hungry. He felt bad; since Serah had made it for him special, knowing he would still be hungry due to his large stature.

"Is there anything to help her?" Snow asked. Noctis and Tifa looked at him and shook their heads no.

"I'm sure if there was Zack would have already found it." Noctis answered quietly and Tifa and Snow knew it was the truth.

Claire "Lightning" Farron was dying, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Zack Fair, SOLDIER First class, walked down the stairs and stood at the stairway for a while.

"How are you? You want something to eat?" Tifa asked. He shook his head and stared and the opposite wall. After another couple minutes of awkward silence, he walked out into the backyard. Noctis looked at the door before silently following him. Snow sat and stared at his sandwich.

Cloud walked in afterwards, carrying a package and headed towards the front door, pausing to look around.

"Where's Zack?" He asked Tifa.

"He went out back, why?" She responded.

"Just wanted to make sure he wasn't back torturing himself again." He answered.

"How is she?" Snow asked. Cloud regarded him for a moment, and then said:

"She was in a lot of pain before she finally fell asleep." And then he turned around and started to walk out.

"You're leaving? Don't you think you should stay?" Tifa said. Cloud paused.

"I have to. And it's not like I can do anything."He said cryptically, and left. Tifa sighed, but returned to her work.

It wasn't until half an hour later when Zack finally walked back in, drenched in sweat, heading for upstairs.

"Cloud doesn't want you back up here for a while." Serah's voice came floating down from the stairway. Zack looked up at her, his fists clenched.

"Yeah, well, I think I should be up there." He said after a while. Snow saw his fiancé come down a couple of steps, her arms crossed.

"She's asleep. There's no reason for you to be up there. Eat something and maybe I'll let you up here for a shower, since you reek, but that's it." Serah said in the firmest voice she could manage, which wasn't that firm, but it was for her. Zack's jaw clenched, and he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.

"Can I shower first?" He calmly said, and Serah nodded, allowing him up. Zack started to go up, and paused to turn and look a Tifa.

"I'll pay for the trampoline." He said, walking up the rest of the stairs.

"What was he doing out there? Jumping on the kids' trampoline?" Tifa asked. Noctis, who had calmly sat down on his previous stool, shook his head.

"No. He broke in half and set it on fire multiple times. I convinced him the car parked out back was too expensive when he started to lift it." He answered seriously. Tifa blinked a couple of times, before shaking her head.

Zack came back down five minutes later, his hair wet and his clothes freshly changed.

"You you want me to make you something?" Tifa asked again, and Zack shook his head no. Snow stood up.

"Come on Zack. We're gonna be brother-in-laws soon. Let's go out and get to know each other." He said. Zack stared at him a while.

"Zack, after the show you put on outside, I think it is imperative that you get out of this place." Noctis said. Zack and Noctis glared at each other.

"She will be fine for a couple of hours." Noctis said. Zack sighed.

"All right, all right, I give." Zack finally said and looked at Snow. "We'll go."

Xx

Snow really had no idea where he should bring Zack, and he knew Zack knew this as well. But Snow did know that Zack had to get out of that place if only for a little while. They had ended up in what used to be Midgar, sector seven.

Zack chuckled darkly. "Not worried 'bout the stigma, are we?" He said. "This is where it started apparently, you know." Snow cursed his ignorance mentally.

"Maybe we should go-"

"Here is fine." Zack interrupted Snow. Zack sighed looking around at the rubble.

"I used to admire the Shinra Company so much. This is where the main office was, you know. I lived here since age fourteen. I was ecstatic when I was selected to become SOLDIER." Zack kicked away some burned lumber.

"You know, I was able to help her, making sure she had time to complete her focus, and I got her out of crystal statis. But I can't do jack shit for her geostigma."

"She doesn't expect you to." Snow supplied.

"She doesn't have to! I promised her that I would protect her, but how the hell am I supposed to protect her from this?" Zack yelled at him. Zack closed his eyes and looked to the ground, muttering an apology.

"Claire, Angeal, and Averia are the only things that I agreed to come back for. And when I come back, they all start to die." He said after a while. "Kimberlynne can't bring back people who die from natural causes. It's why her daughter isn't here." Zack said quietly. Snow regarded him silently, urging him to continue. Zack took the hint.

"Her name was Amethyst. She would have been three." Zack looked away from Snow. "Me and her grandmother were there to welcome her to the lifestream. She died of geostigma last year."

Xx

Snow went back home feeling as he had only worsened the situation when Zack punched his shoulder softly.

"Thanks for dragging my ass outta here for a while. I needed it." He said. Snow smiled.

"Anytime." He said.

"I think Serah couldn't have picked better." Zack said, patting his back and gave him a small smile. Snow's smile widened.

Snow followed Zack upstairs. Lightning was reading to her son and daughter. She smiled at her husband.

"Have fun?" Zack smiled lightly.

"Yeah." He answered softly, joining his family on the couch.

"It wasn't until later when Zack and Lightning had tucked in their children did Snow feel comfortable to ask Lightning how she was feeling. She nodded.

"I feel much better than this morning." She answered. She later fell asleep on Zack's shoulder.

Cloud and the two men dressed in suits walked out of a room. Cloud looked at Zack and said,

"They have the Denzel and Marlene. I have to go get them."

"Those Sephiroth clones you were telling me about?" Zack asked. Cloud nodded. Zack stood.

"I'm coming with you." He said.

"You won't get any clear cut answer about the stigma from them." Cloud said.

"I'll get something. I don't care if I have to beat it out them." Zack answered, already slinging the Buster Sword onto his back. Cloud smirked lightly.

"You never can sit still for five minutes, can you?" Cloud said. Zack smiled.

"Nope."


End file.
